Monday, December 30, 2013

Here's a photo of me taken earlier in December for the Advent of the Dress project on facebook. A fabulous green 60s square dance dress trimmed in layers of white lace. I paired it with black vintage cowboy boots but of course Lucy's derriere is in the way.

Here is a more sedate dress - 40s black crepe with wonderful collar and cuff details - sadly the photo isn't very clear and the dress is so damaged that it's not really wearable (it looks like someone stabbed the poor thing while it was folded - lots of 2" cuts). The tiara style mink and velvet ring hat however is so easy to mix and match with vintage and contemporary clothing that it has gotten a lot of wear while it's still in my possession (It is for sale in my ebay shop)!

The Christmas season is hands down my favorite holiday. I love being able to unwrap all of my favorite ornaments and decorations. So many of them bring back wonderful memories.

Since we got Lucy we're sticking with a small table top tree!

My collection of Swarovski crystal snowflakes started years ago with this one - a gift from my mom. Also shown - Holly, my 1960s Italian glass ornament and a darling Scandinavian wooden ornament of a cat and bird with their own tree (found with my mom at the bins)

A collection of English, German and American blue ornaments from the 1880s to the 1950s.

The blue tree (above) has long been a favorite of mine. I started the collection of antique blue ornaments when I was still living in Baltimore in the early 90s. This was probably one of my first "grown-up" collections. I lucked out finding the bottle brush/feather tree with the wide wooden base at Big Lots. This collection and tree has moved with me all over the country and for years was the only tree I put up.

My grandparent's 1930s-40s chalkware nativity

Lucy and her gift

Poudre and his gift

Christmas dinner!! We decided to eat in the kitchen as it was only three of us, and honestly, eating in the dining room would've meant I had to find a new home for my sewing machine! Dinner consisted of a rib roast, scalloped potatoes (from scratch), asparagus and broccoli. I started the tradition of the English Crackers years ago thinking the boys would get a kick out of them and now at 18 and 11 they still love them. Our bottle of wine was a special treat - Opus One 2009!!

Cookies made by the 11 year old and I, home made rum cake and curried pecans for dessert.

Would you like the mink ring hat? It is really fabulous, easy to wear and right now it's on sale (only $15.20)

Sunday, December 1, 2013

It's been a whirlwind around here for the last month but I did get a photo of me in my Thanksgiving dress! It was pure luck that on Tuesday the 26th I stopped into my favorite thrift store just in time to spot this deadstock beauty! The dress has gathers at the shoulders (very 1940s-ish), a nice V neckline and a very full skirt. Even better - it's marked a Tall so the sleeves actually fit the length of my arms - a rarity in vintage dresses.

I paired the dress with my 70s lace-up Frye boots that I purchased about 6 years ago on ebay. Wore my hair in a flip and was ready to party!

James and I spend Thanksgiving with our dear friends Pete and Julianne and their enormous extended families. We brought green bean casserole and a rum cake - items that are requested every year!

For those of you who love wearing dresses there is a new challenge on Facebook - Advent of the Dress. Loads of vintage sellers and aficionados are participating, but it isn't limited to vintage dresses only - modern dresses are more than welcome. The challenge is to wear a dress every day for the month of December and snap a picture! Stop by and take a gander (and check out lots of great vintage shops) or, even more fun....join in and add a dress a day from your wardrobe.

Need a new vintage frock...or some fabulous Frye boots of your own? The Magnolia Collection is having a 35% off CYBER MONDAY SALE.....and it started today! The Magnolia Collection

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

I feel as if I've been packing and unpacking for weeks now. The Magnolia Collection has moved! What a chore to pack and unpack 500 dresses and just as many pieces of jewelry, pairs of shoes, hats, handbags and bits and pieces. It's been 9 days since the move and I think I finally know where everything is!!

Today's packing is for fun! A long weekend in Colorado! As much as I love Colorado I always have trouble packing for these trips. The weather can turn from sunny and 80 to snowing and 20 within minutes (we're staying in the mountains) and of course there is fly fishing and hiking and night's in Fort Collins so packing for all of these activities and making sure there's a touch of vintage in each is a challenge.

We can assume that at any given point I will be one or more of the following:

Too hot

Too cold

Over dressed

Slightly queasy due to the elevation

In an uncomfortable political conversation with the in-laws

Having a Blast

Packing List (I'll post some pictures asap)

Brown Pedleton 49er jacket (so excited as it's new to me)

vintage Coach Willis crossbody bag - perfect for in town and in the mountains

Monday, September 16, 2013

Sunday was the first cool, rainy day since last spring! Fall is definitely in the air!! James and I decided to find a new diner for breakfast and somehow made it to the Benson area and found Joe's Cafe - everything you want in a diner! Small but packed with vintage stools, booths and counter tops - and vintage because they were there since 1942 - not because they were curated for effect. Above the coffe makers were these super cute and uber kitschy doll head things. The spaceship is made from a thermos (they had two) and if you ever wondered how the insides of a toaster worked.....well, let's just say it's love!

yummmmm, coffee

My outfit is not vintage but it definitely has a little vintage 40s inspiration and a retro nod thanks to the bright red lipstick (note to self....take photo before eating next time), the peeptoe wedges and wide-legged sailor pants. Terrible photo but hey, it was a rainy, lazy day!

The gingham shirt is from The North Face and is my favorite fly fishing shirt! It has adjustable ruching at the sides that are finished in bows and slightly poofed sleeves which give it a beautiful feminine look but it has the back vent and hidden breast zip pocket that work so well for fishing. Tucking this in would've given the outfit an even more retro look.

The pants are a sailor button front, high waist, wide leg pant in lightweight denim by Larry Levine. The shoes are by Predictions and have a comfy wedge, black and white polka dotted faille and a big white leather bow! My dear friend Suzie from Pinup Dresses actually has these available at her ebay store here!

A bit of vintage kitsch on my back patio! They always look so angry.

The best thing about the first truly cool rainy day is getting to go to sleep under blankets! I only use vintage and antique pillow cases - the cotton and linen is so soft and they always look so romantic. Also they are cheap! While you can pay a pretty penny at antique shops these show up regularly at garage sales and thrift stores for around $1!

Quilt Season with cat topper

This is Poudre - named for the Cache la Poudre river in Colorado. My husband is from Fort Collins so we have a lot of family and friends out there. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who is effected by the flooding.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Garage and yard sale season will be drawing to a close soon so I'm taking every opportunity I can to hit as many as I can before the weather turns. Some of my favorite pieces have come from garage sales including a stunning 1913 wedding dress earlier this summer!

Shipping large items is a challenge so most of my furniture purchases go to The Magnolia Collection's antique booth at the Fairmont Antique Mall in Omaha's historic Old Market.

This was a little bit of an odd purchase for me - an 80s faux brass vanity bench. I've come across these so many times before and never looked twice at them but the $1 price tag meant this was an affordable challenge!

A ratty purple cushion actually was the inspiration for the new colors.

Primed with spray metal primer and painted in Krylon Glitter Pink ($8.99 at Hobby Lobby and probably cheaper at Home Depot).......Side Note - While I love the color choices in Krylon I've found Rustoleum is a much better quality and easier to use.

Once I moved the painted bench to the patio to snap a picture it occurred to me that a couple of these in bright colors would make prefect extra seating - I'm now keeping an eye out for two more - one I'll do in a bright blue and one in a lime green and cover those two cushions in this all weather/outdoor fabric:

I made the seat cover for this hot pink mama, using the dimensions from the original cushion, from one of my favorite bits of Pucci-esque polished cotton. I will be so sad when I've used all of this fabric up!!

So this $1 beauty will head down to the antique mall tomorrow! If you're looking to spruce up your dressing table I'll be listing this darling 1960s purple floral oval train case on The Magnolia Collection ebay site tomorrow!

Sunday, September 1, 2013

Such a beautiful day today after the incredible high heat and humidity of the past week. The garden is in its last throes - it's looking tired and hot (aren't we all!) but is still producing tons of veggies. I am still waiting patiently for the morning glories to bloom but the hyacinth beans are looking beautiful!!

Lucy, out three year old Weimaraner is still trying to convince us she's not a vegetarian...she does, in her defense, eat entire lasagnas, pans of brownies and Prada prescription glasses when given the chance. She also hunts vintage mink and rabbit and isn't opposed to the occasional electrical cord (luckily none have been plugged in and she does seem to have outgrown this chewy delicacy). But, on a daily basis she raids the garden. We have yet to eat a pepper - she gets them first and they are her favorites!

Today's harvest - peppers!!!! Eggplant, tomatoes, cukes and beans.

Some flowers....

The mums are planted in the pot that was my birthday present from my 11 year old!

No real outfit post today...I wore a pretty a-line princess cut jersey knit sleeveless shift by Melvine of Miami - the tag line on the palm tree bedecked label reads : Hits of the American Riviera - how cool! It has a pretty border print:

I did spend some time this morning fooling with my hair - it's the exact same texture and number of actual hairs that I had when I was 2 - my hair never grew up! I am pleasd with the faux 40s look though and will get a better shot in the next few days.

I hope you had a chance this weekend to putter around your garden! Did you have any favorite new or old plants this year?

A garden inspired skirt from my shop....this is an all time favorite of mine!

Friday, August 30, 2013

All week it's been ungodly hot here in Omaha. The kind of high humidity and heat that actually gives you goosebumps when you step outside. Tanks and shorts have been my go-to outfits of choice for the last few days but this morning I was thinking about my granny who suffered from a lifetime of Baltimore summers. She and the lovely ladies of her generation (and every generation before) still looked beautiful despite the sweltering summers. So today, with a heat index of 107ish I wore a pretty cotton frock from the late 50s of black and white gingham.

This poor dress has been in the donate pile so often, but I keep pulling it out! It is held together by about 15 safety pins and missing a slew of buttons. It also has a nice repair on the right butt cheek! Still its crisp, and looks pretty, if you don't looks too close! I especially like the collar and the darling peaked pocket!

The other reason I love it is it's too big! I rarely find vintage dresses that fit let alone ones that are a smidge too large, and on a hot day a loose dress is perfection! The vintage stretch red belt with the black and red Lucite buckle keeps the dress from looking potato-sackish.

The drawback to any white cotton dress is the neccesity of a slip - I don't mind slips at all but on a day like today the last thing I needed was another layer! I decided on a purple and black stunner!! (Celebrating my Baltimore heritage in Ravens colors!)

Lastly, on a hot day I don't wear a lot of jewelry - my favorite bangles and necklaces are saved for cooler weather....but earrings are easy in hot weather and these 1960s novelty thermometer earrings actually work!

Saturday, August 24, 2013

I really wanted to do another outfit post, but it's been in the 90's with unbearable humidity...and I threw out my back mowing the lawn! So as I recover....in a vintage leopard Vanity Fair nightgown with the rattiest, and most beloved, 1960s blue rose terrycloth bathrobe I thought I'd share my favorite bits of art!

I would LOVE to have a mid century home - but alas, as much as I love it for others I am a traditionalist at heart. Give me battered old oil paintings and I'm a happy girl! The following bits of beauty have been picked up entirely at thrift stores!

A bowl of bluebells found in Connecticut and below, a painting marked France on the back.

A pretty summer painting signed Scott - unframed and found at a garage sale!

One of my favorites! Found for $2 - a sailboat on the sea and a town lane - marked Italy on the back.

No markings at all - fall color sand I can't decide if it's English or Scandinavian.

The most expensive painting I own - $40ish from an antique mall - decommissioned from a museum

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This large one hangs above the piano. Based on the figures I'd guess Guatemala.

Another favorite - found at the Goodwill Warehouse for $0.97/pound! A gorgeous old frame and very old paint. I love her! She graces the dining room and as a side note - Hubby James just walked past her the other day, stood stock still and said "oh, that's nice where'd we get her?"